drifting

noun

drift·​ing ˈdrif-tiŋ 

: the act or activity of steering an automobile so that it makes a controlled skid sideways through a turn with the front wheels pointed in a direction opposite to that of the turn

Drifting began in the early 1980s with a Japanese race-car driver named Keiichi Tsuchiya. Mr. Tsuchiya, who was in his 20s, started experimenting with drifting and practiced it on curvy roads deep in the mountains near his hometown. He says he was perfecting his ability to not spin out on curves in car races.

—Norihiko Shirouzu et al.

also : a sport in which drivers compete at this activity

Drifting has nothing to do with racing. There's no checkered flag. It's more like figure skating than speed skating, with a three-judge panel awarding points based on speed, angle of attack and style.

—W. J. Hennigan

Examples of drifting in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The tracks look great, the drifting feels smooth, and the character's abilities make races way more interesting than a basic kart racer. —PC Magazine, 1 Dec. 2025

Forecasters said the combination of snow, wind and drifting could significantly reduce visibility, especially across open stretches of interstate and rural highways. —Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Nov. 2025

Because of the ship’s size and uncontrollable drifting, however, the crew’s actions to try to prevent the crash were ultimately futile. —Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 19 Nov. 2025

Kane is the goalscorer and all-round talisman, Olise the drifting, carrying playmaker and Gnabry the dynamic generalist. —Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025

Adam DeVine, stepping into Ritter’s short-shorts (at least in spirit), earned laughs with a bit about a wayward mic drifting below the belt. —Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2025

These mantle upwellings, sometimes referred to as mantle plumes, are hypothesized to play a role in some major geological shifts such as continental drifting. —Jay Kakade july 05, New Atlas, 5 July 2025

Amidst the constant changes in Earth’s magnetic field, the most notable one is the drifting of the magnetic north pole. —Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 26 Dec. 2024

But for reasons not entirely clear, the floatation device was later found intact drifting in the ocean, the Navy found. —Anne Flaherty, ABC News, 10 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1998, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for drifting

• gifting
• lifting
• rifting
• shifting
• sifting
• shoplifting
• uplifting